Every guide we publish, newest first. Doctor Gambling is an independent reference site about gambling harm. We explain what the research actually says, what player-protection tools really do, and how to get help. We carry no affiliate links and we do not link to gambling sites.
If you need help now, start here: How to get help for gambling.
Browse by topic
- Fundamentals — what responsible gambling means, the words people get wrong, and how the maths works.
- Gambling Harm — how harm develops, screening tools, and the conditions that travel with it.
- Get Help — helplines, treatment, peer support, and help for families.
- Self-Exclusion — national registers, how to join one, and what they do not cover.
- Player Protection Tools — deposit limits, blocking software, bank blocks and reality checks.
- Data & Research — prevalence figures, what each survey measures, and why they disagree.
- Regulation — the rules in each country and who enforces them.
- Game Risk — why some gambling products cause more harm than others.
- Operators & Standards — what gambling companies publish about player safety, assessed against their own reports.
Latest articles
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Responsible Gambling Tools Compared Across 15 Major Operators
We compared the responsible gambling tools at 15 of the biggest gambling brands. The tools are nearly identical; what differs is how fast a limit bites, how hard it is to raise, and whether anyone outside the company can check.
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Responsible Gambling vs Safer Gambling vs Harm Reduction: Why the Words Matter
Responsible gambling, safer gambling and harm reduction are not three names for the same thing. What each term means, who uses it, and why the WHO and a growing list of regulators have moved away from responsible gambling.
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Gambling Help in the United States: The New 1-800-MY-RESET Helpline Explained
The US national gambling helpline number changed in January 2026 to 1-800-MY-RESET. Here is which number to call, what happens when you do, and how state-by-state help actually works.
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Slot Machines and EGMs: Why Are Slots So Addictive?
Slot machines and EGMs cause more measured gambling harm than any other product. Here is what the NSW 2024 survey, the Productivity Commission and the design research actually show.
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Gambling Player Protection Rules Compared: 15 Jurisdictions Side by Side
How gambling player protection rules differ across 15 jurisdictions: national self-exclusion registers, mandatory deposit limits, loss thresholds, game design rules and advertising bans, all sourced to regulators and legislation.
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Why Gambling Prevalence Surveys Disagree: The Mode Effect Problem
Two British surveys measured problem gambling at 2.4 percent and 0.4 percent. Neither is wrong — the gap comes from survey mode and who agrees to take part. Here is how to read any gambling statistic safely.
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National Self-Exclusion Registers Compared: 15 Schemes Side by Side
A national self-exclusion register blocks you from every licensed operator in a country at once. We compare 15 schemes on the length of the shortest block, whether you can end it early, and whether betting shops and casinos are covered as well as websites.
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Deposit Limits Explained: Daily, Weekly and Monthly Caps
A deposit limit caps how much money you can pay into a gambling account per day, week or month. How gross and net limits differ, why increases are delayed, and the regulator caps in six countries.
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The 9 DSM-5 Criteria for Gambling Disorder, Explained
Gambling disorder is diagnosed when four or more of nine DSM-5 criteria are met in a 12-month period. Here is each criterion in plain English, the severity bands, what changed from DSM-IV, and why a PGSI score is not a diagnosis.
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Gambling Help in the United Kingdom
Free gambling help in the UK: the 24/7 National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, NHS gambling clinics you can self-refer to, GAMSTOP self-exclusion and free counselling. Every number checked against the provider’s own site.
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Glossary of Responsible Gambling Terms (A-Z)
A plain-English A-Z of responsible gambling terms, from affordability checks and the PGSI to self-exclusion registers, RTP and the UK statutory levy. Every definition is checked against the regulator, scheme or study it comes from.
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How We Assess Operator Responsible Gambling: Our Rating Methodology
We do not score gambling companies out of ten. This page sets out the five areas our responsible gambling operator rating checks, the four tiers of evidence we accept, who funds this site, and what the method cannot tell you.
How we work
Our guides are written from primary sources: legislation, regulator publications, national statistics agencies and peer-reviewed research. Helpline numbers are checked against the operator’s own site before we publish them. Articles are written by Jose Del Pozo.
Read our editorial policy, how we are funded and kept independent, and our corrections policy. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.